Guide To Science Asimov

Update 9/22/15: I am reading Asimov's New Guide to Science, and realizing that it is pretty much the same as the 'New Intelligent Man's Guide to Science' (I think it is just a more updated version). I am finding it fascinating, enjoyable reading. Originally published, New York, Basic, 1984; Harmondsworth, Viking, 1985. Previous ed, published as Asimov's guide to science. New York, Basic, 1972 Bibliography, p820-828.

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Asimov’s New Guide To Science By Isaac Asimov. Asimov tells the stories behind the science: the men and women who made the important discoveries and how they did it. Ranging from Galilei, Achimedes, Newton and Einstein, he takes the most complex concepts and explains it in such a way that a first-time reader on the subject feels confident on his/her understanding. Assists today’s readers in keeping abreast of all recent discoveries and advances in physics, the biological sciences, astronomy, computer technology, artificial intelligence, robotics, and other sciences. Asimov’s New Guide To Science By Isaac Asimov

In the twelve years since the publication of the last edition of Asimov’s Guide to Science, the pace of scientific discovery has accelerated at a bewildering rate. New discoveries in physics have dramatically altered our view of the universe, while recent biological research has brought us new insights into the place of living things in it. Recent developments in artificial intelligence and robotics, in high-energy physics, and in cancer research—to name but a few—have spawned exciting new technologies (and businesses) that are revolutionizing our lives. Asimov’s New Guide To Science By Isaac Asimov

Asimov

To keep the modern reader abreast of these new advances, the inimitable Isaac Asimov has completely revised and updated his classic work in science for the general reader, bringing this edition to the very frontiers of the latest research. He has written an entirely new chapter on the solar system, and there are new sections on everything from quasars and black holes to the latest developments in biological research and computer technology, as well as four sections of photographs and many line drawings.

But the aim of this magnificent book, acclaimed in its earlier editions as “the most exciting general account of modern science,” remains the same: to present the general reader with an authoritative, comprehensive account of modern science which is actually fun to read. For the alert mind seeking the key to technicalities in today’s science headlines, for the student eager to understand individual subjects in a meaningful context, and for the professional scientist wanting to keep abreast of advances in neighboring fields, Asimov’s Guide to Science remains the virtual bible of science.

Asimovs New Guide To Science by Isaac Asimov

I was a biological secret weapon, or, what did you do in the Cold War Daddy?
It occurred to me yesterday that, while still a teen, I acted as a guinea-pig in two large social engineering experiments. One of them started when I was about 14, and was concerned with chess. Paul was asking the other day, apropos a Kasparov review, what would have happened if other countries had tried to organise a chess infrastructure similar to the one the Soviet Union built up, and systematically nurtured young talents. In fact, this is exactly what Leonard Barden tried to do between about 1970 and 1980. He studied the Soviet model, and copied it to the best of his ability; there were regular training weekends in London, where all the top British junior players took part. We played a six-round tournament, and between the games you got free coaching from International Master level players. (In those days, an International Master title was worth something; now, if you arent a Grandmaster you arent anything). There were lists on the walls, written in green marker pen, showing the top players in each age bracket. After a while, we noticed a young Azerbaijani called Kasparov, who was working his way up the ladder with incredible speed. Even at age 10, he was already on our radar.
Barden was a strange, shy, nerdy kind of person, and we all laughed at him behind his back, but I have to give him credit: the program was a stunning success, and made Britain one of the top chess countries throughout the 80s and early 90s. In 1986, England took silver in the Chess Olympiad (the world team championship), and had an excellent shot at gold. Then, in 1993, Nigel Short played Kasparov for the world title. He got creamed, but it was the first time in more than a century that a British player had reached the final.
Before I ever got seriously interested in chess, though, I realise now that I was part of another experiment. This time, the key person was Isaac Asimov, like Barden a strange, geeky guy who simply refused to acknowledge what he was up against. In 1957, Asimov was one of the USs most successful science-fiction writers; hed abandoned a promising career in biochemistry to devote himself to writing SF, and was making more from that than he ever had as an academic. Then Sputnik happened. Asimov saw what he regarded as proof that the US was falling behind in the science race, and decided it was his patriotic duty to help. You could view it as a mild version of Ayn Rand syndrome; Asimov was also born in the Soviet Union and moved to the US, but he did it much younger than Rand, and his hatred for all things Communist was correspondingly less vitriolic. Instead of writing Atlas Shrugged, he decided that he would help educate the next generation of American scientists. He had a simple and effective strategy: he knew about science, and he was a good writer, so hed use his skills to make science accessible and exciting to young hopefuls.

Asimov's New Guide To Science 1993

I think he did a good job. I discovered his books around age 9 and I just devoured them, both the science-fiction and the popular science. The Intelligent Mans Guide to Science was one of my favourites, and I read it two or three times. The book has many things that a geeky, precocious kid is going to find seriously cool: for example, he tells you what E = mc2 means, and gives you a reasonable explanation of how to derive the formula. I loved that. But, in retrospect, the most important thing was the way he described the history of science, and how scientific method works. I still vividly recall how impressed I was by his explanation of the 1887 Michelson-Morley experiment, probably the most important experiment done in physics since Newton. If you dont know about it, Michelson and Morley had a clever idea: they would measure the Earths velocity through space by comparing how quickly light travels in different directions. When light is being beamed in the direction the Earth is moving, its speed should be different from when its being beamed in the opposite direction. They set up instruments ingeniously calibrated to be able to measure the tiny differences, but came to a shocking conclusion: light always travels at exactly the same speed, regardless of direction. It made no sense, but they were honest enough to report their failure, and it led directly to Einsteins theory of relativity. I wanted to get involved in this story too, and Im sure Asimov helped nudge me into a scientific career
Putting it together, I am kind of shocked that two weird geeks, Barden and Asimov, were able to recruit me and thousands of other impressionable kids in their bizarre schemes. I must admit that, personally, I didnt turn out to be a very good cold warrior. In chess, I played three top Russians, and lost all three games; at least my loss against former World Champion Smyslov was interesting enough that youll find it on the Web if you look around. In science, I did end up doing something moderately cool for NASA, but by then the cold war was over, and the US and Russian space programs had merged.
However, other people in my cohort were much more successful; basically, I would say that both programs worked, and, if you want to change the world, theres a lesson in this story. Barden and Asimov had very limited resources, but they used them imaginatively and made a difference. The key idea is well-known, but no less effective for that: get them when theyre young.
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Isaac Asimov

It was first published in by Basic Books. The book received positive reviews, praising it as a well-written work on science. Asimov was first contacted by Leon Svirsky of Basic Books in about the possibility of writing a book that would provide an overview of science , and the two met at Asimov's home on 13 May to discuss the details. He had published 11 nonfiction books, including books on chemistry , physics , astronomy , a college-level biochemistry textbook, and a collection of science essays. However, he was momentarily daunted by the prospect of writing a major book on all of science, and he delayed signing the contract until 15 July, after receiving encouragement from his friend and future wife Janet Jeppson. Asimov feared the title would be seen as elitist and condescending, and he suggested Everyone's Guide to Science as an alternative, but Svirsky refused. Years later, when he was confronted by annoyed feminists who asked why the book was restricted to men, Asimov would claim that the 'intelligent man' of the title referred to himself; [3] thus anticipating the title Asimov's Guide to Science adopted for the third edition.

This article will be permanently flagged as inappropriate and made unaccessible to everyone. Are you certain this article is inappropriate? Email Address:. Isaac Asimov ; [2] born Isaak Yudovich Ozimov ; circa January 2, [1] — April 6, was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University , best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than books and an estimated 90, letters and postcards. Asimov is widely considered a master of hard science fiction and, along with Robert A. Heinlein and Arthur C.

By 'man' was gone, and the particular man was in—giving us Asimov's Guide to Science. Very nice introduction to the history of science and funny typo: 'Geronimo Cardano'. Isaac Asimov was born in Petrovichi, Russia, on January 2, His family emigrated to the United States in and settled in Brooklyn, New York, where they owned and operated a candy store. Asimov became a naturalized U. As a youngster he discovered his talent for writing, producing his first original fiction at the age of eleven. He went on to become one of the world's most prolific writers, publishing nearly books in his lifetime.

Asimov's New Guide to Science

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Asimov tells the stories behind the science: the men and women who made the important discoveries and how they did it. From earth to heaven , Isaac Asimov, , Science, pages. Cosmology: The Science of the Universe is an introduction to past and present cosmological theory. For much of the world's history, cosmological thought was formulated in. Companion To The Cosmos , J.

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